I know there's been a lot of Memory Eater Kickstarter updates the past month or so, but in a few days, the campaign will end, and it will be back to business as usual.
I've been working on a ton of projects. Ideas. The future. Which brings me to a few important updates:
First, and probably the most important, in the next few months, I will be transitioning all traffic from this blog to a new website. The website will allow me to better structure everything I plan to do in the future. It's currently being worked on, and I hope to have it finished soon.
Second, I'm going to be opening submissions in the near future for a yet-to-be-determined anthology. I loved working on The Memory Eater, everything from reading all of the great stories to writing my own. This will be another themed anthology, and I have it boiled down to three ideas. The first is obviously The Memory Eater 2. The second is Bedtime Stories For Adults (working title), which will focus on children's stories twisted with mature themes, settings, plots. Think:
And the third, untitled for now, revolves around a device (I love me some devices, huh?). Here's a hint:
I’m being vague with this one in case I don’t use it next and need to place it back on the shelf.
So those are the three ideas I'm toying around with—I'd love to hear which one you'd like to see me tackle next in the comments below!
Third, who am I? Online, I'm known as Casper Pearl. In reality, I'm Matthew Hance. However you want to address me, that's fine. I've been a writer for almost a decade now, and I've put a lot of hard work and passion into what I do. Over the course of my writing career, I’ve made about $800 from short stories (winning contests and selling them to anthologies). If you break that down, I make on average about $80 a year from a profession I pour countless hours into. What I’m trying to say is, I write because I love writing. I can’t not write. Writing allows me to create worlds. It allows me to share important messages with others. And maybe one day, if I’m lucky, a story will catch fire and burn through millions of brains. But if that doesn’t happen, it’s okay, because I’m proud of the work I do, because I always give it my all.
Step back a year. I thought it would be fun to collaborate with other writers, so I put out the submissions call for The Memory Eater. I’m really happy I did, because that decision led to traffic. And that traffic inspired me to share with everyone my thoughts on the industry along with what’s helped me develop as a writer. You see, it’s not all about the individual. It’s about sharing, and maybe someone shares back with you, and you eventually meet new people who share your passion, and then you eventually grow.
Moving forward, while I work on my own individual projects, I will also be working on other anthologies/collaborations. So what am I? I'm a writer who occasionally teams up with others in my field to bring readers something I feel is new and refreshing. I formed Hance LLC because of the anthologies I plan to work on, so I will be releasing all content under that name. In the near future, when I transition to the new website, it will reflect everything I do as an individual and team member. And each anthology will have its own dedicated area on the site.
Fourth, what about additional content? I've been working on some fresh blog topics but won't be posting them until the Kickstarter campaign is over. My focus now, as it has been the past month, is making sure The Memory Eater is successful.
And just an FYI, one of the most rewarding aspects of being a writer is seeing my work in print. It's a great feeling, and I'm sure most writers will tell you the same exact thing. That's why I turned to Kickstarter. To hold the book. To pass it around. To be proud of something. And why do I care so much about a physical book? Well, in a dozen or more years, when my sons are allowed to read mature content, I'd like them to pick my books up and read my stories and be proud of what I've done. I'd like to motivate them to shoot for their dreams, no matter how hard it is. Not through telling them to do so, but by showing them how to do so.
